Poquoson Wildlife Refuge Could Benefit City, Some Say

July 28, 1992|By JANETTE RODRIGUES Daily Press

POQUOSON — The city of Poquoson stands to gain much more than it would lose if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service turns a 300-acre tract of environmentally sensitive land into a wildlife refuge, agency and city officials said.

If the federal agency decides to purchase the land located in an area known as Black Walnut Ridge, the city would benefit from a proposed educational center and revenue-sharing payments, said Tony Leger, manager of the Plum Tree Island and Back Bay national wildlife refuges.

FOR THE RECORD - Published correction ran Wednesday, July 29, 1992. A story in Tuesday's Local section about a possible wildlife refuge in Poquoson contained an incomplete sentence. The sentence should have read: Several Poquoson residents did express concerns about how the agency would manage the land and whether property falling between the ridge and Plum Tree Island Refuge would be swallowed up if the agency buys the land.

Both Leger and City Manager Robert M. Murphy say proceeds from a possible revenue-sharing agreement may be more than the city receives in taxes on the tract, which is one of the largest marshes in the Southern Chesapeake Bay area.

In March, the ridge became the focus of a controversy between city residents and York County resident Owen H. Bellamy Jr., who has said he plans to log 100 acres of pine trees on the land.

The City Council asked the Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday to begin the lengthy process of doing a feasibility study of the land, which is home to peregrine falcons, bald eagles, deer and shore birds.

Several Poquoson residents did express concerns about how the agency would manage the land and whether property falling between the ridge and Plum Tree Island Refuge would be swallowed up if.

Fish and Wildlife biologist Walter Quist said the agency's track record shows it doesn't force landowners into selling or donating their land. Leger added the agency wants to work with everyone. ``We don't want to come in and tell you what to do with your land,'' he said.

Although the agency is interested in land, it will take about five months before the agency can determine how much of the tract it would consider buying, Leger said. About 35 members of Preserve Our Ridge Today, or PORT, showed up for the meeting, which was attended by Delegate Harvey B. Morgan, R-Gloucester.

An anonymous Tidewater resident has also expressed an interest in buying land, which Bellamy has said he purchased for about $200,000 in the late 1980s. Leger was unwilling to say how much the agency would be willing to pay for the land.